A QUESTION OF TRUST By Victor Canning VICTOR CANNING ABOUT THE AUTHOR Victor Canning (16 June 1911 – 21 February 1986) was a prolific British writer of novels and thrillers who flourished in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was personally reticent, writing no memoirs and giving relatively few newspaper interviews. CENTRAL IDEA OF THE STORY A question of trust is based on robbery committed in a house at Shotover Grange. Two professional thieves/burglars came face to face while on the same mission of robbing a safe in the house. The message of this story is that we should not trust anyone without discovering out about that person. The story also leaves us with the question: ‘Can their be honour among thieves?’ Also, it makes us ponder on the conflict of intentions vs. actions. Horace stole to buy expensive books. He stole from the rich. His intentions were good but his means could not be justified. Detailed Summary NOT COMPLETELY HONEST: Horace Danby was 50 years old and unmarried. He made locks and was successful at his business. He was considered good and respectful but he wasn’t completely honest. ROBBED A SAFE EVERY YEAR: He had a passion for rare and expensive books. For that he needed extra money. He used to rob a safe every year to carry forward his expensive hobby. With this money he bought the expensive books he loved through an agent. CAREFUL PLANNING OF ROBERRY: Horace never acted in haste. All his robberies were planned carefully and were completely successful. He had been studying Shotover Grange too. DETAILED SUMMARY ENCOUNTERS LADY IN RED: He entered the Grange carefully, tools packed in a bag. He befriended the dog ‘Sherry’ and planned to get 1000 pounds’ worth of jewellery. After entering the house, he went to the drawing room to open the safe, as planned, to open the safe. This was easy for him as he had worked with safes and lockers all his life. He suffered attacks of hay fever and felt his nose tickle. As he started sneezing, he heard a female voice suggesting him to cure his hay fever with special treatment. He found a pretty young woman, dressed in red, standing there. MISTOOK HER AS THE LADY OF THE HOUSE: The lady acted with an air of confidence and authority and threatened to call the police. Horace mistook her for the lady of the house and told her he robbed only those who had a lot of money. He requested her to let him go and promised not to repeat it. DETAILED SUMMARY OPENS THE SAFE FOR THE LADY: He hated the thought of prison. Exploiting his fear and confusion, the lady asked him to break the safe claiming she needed the jewels for a night party and had forgotten the numbers to open the safe. He agreed to break the safe in return of his freedom. HORACE ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED: Two days later, Horace was arrested on the basis of the finger prints left on the safe. A grey haired, sixty years old lady, the wife of the owner of the house stated that Horace’s story was nonsense. Now, as the assistant librarian in the prison, he often thinks of the clever young lady who tricked him and gets very angry when anyone talks about ‘honour among thieves’. CHARACTER SKETCH HORACE DANBY: Horace Danby was about fifty years old and unmarried. Everyone thought him a good and honest citizen. He was otherwise very well and happy except for attacks of hay fever in summer. He made locks and was fairly successful at his business. Horace Danby was good and respectable but not completely honest. He used to rob a safe every year. He used to do so because he needed money to buy rare and expensive books. This was his passion. He would rob only those who were extremely rich. He never hurt anyone and carried no weapon with him. He was not at all aggressive and didn’t want to go to prison. THE LADY IN RED: The lady in red is gifted with a rare personality. She is full of confidence. She acts with an air of confidence and authority presenting herself to be the lady of the house. Even the dog was rubbing against her in a friendly manner. In a very subtle way, she told Horace that she wanted to wear the jewels in the safe to a party that night and had forgotten the numbers to the safe. She tricked him in opening the safe without gloves and he got imprisoned. Assignment Questions I. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow: How foolish people are when they own valuable things, Horace thought. A magazine article had described this house, giving a plan of all the rooms and a picture of this room. The writer had even mentioned that the painting hid a safe! But Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work. He buried his face in the handkerchief. Then he heard a voice say from the doorway, “ What is it ? A cold or a hay fever?” Before he could think , Horace said, “Hay fever,” and found himself sneezing again. The voice went on, “ You can cure it with a special treatment, you know, if you find out just what plant gives you the disease. I think you ‘d better see a doctor, if you’re serious about your work. 1. Which magazine could have published the article mentioned in the given extract? (a) Paws & Claws (b) Outdoors & Landscaping (c) Interiors (d) The Investor 2. According to the extract, Horace was sneezing due to a (a) sudden allergy (b) prior infection (c) long-standing disease (d) nasal pain 3. In the line- Before he could think, Horace said, ‘ Hay fever,’- the response was (a) rehearsed (b) spontaneous and natural (c) hesitant (d) rapid and hostile (4) Pick the option that is the ODD one out with reference to the meaning of the word ‘ hinder ’ (a) impede hinder (c) expedite (b) preclude (d) obstruct 5. The line from the extract that can be considered as an example of sarcasm is (a)How foolish people are when they own valuable things. (b)Horace found that the flowers were hindering him in his work. (c) You can cure it with a special treatment. (d) I think you’d better see a doctor , if you’re serious about your work. Assignment II. Answer the following in 40-50 words: 1.What are the precautions Horace Danby used to take before committing a robbery? 2.‘Horace never got a chance to begin his plan’ .What plan is the author talking about ? Why is he not able to execute his plan ? 3. Do you think that the young woman in red proved far smarter than Horace Danby? Give reasons. III. Answer the following in 100-120 words. 1. “ Intentions always do not justify actions.” Analyze this quote with reference the story “A Question of Trust”.
